Stephen Hendry snooker blog
Posts tagged Wembley Arena
Selby stuns O’Sullivan in epic Masters final
0750 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Mark Selby produced one of the finest comebacks the illustrious Masters final has ever seen with a shock 10-9 victory against world No. 1 Ronnie O’Sullivan.
The Rocket had taken a 9-6 lead, late into the evening session; but was incredibly pegged back by his opponent, who capitalised on the usually nerveless O’Sullivan’s errors to lift the coveted non-rankings trophy.
The 26-year-old won the last four frames in spectacular fashion as the crowd packed inside Wembley Arena were treated to a classic final.
It meant Selby had gained revenge for last year’s final defeat against the same opponent, while adding to his 2008 Masters title in the process.
Few would have bet against the 34-year-old O’Sullivan from claiming his fifth title going into the 16th frame. Looking comfortable and displaying his customary brand of mesmeric shots, the Rocket looked for the all the world to be cruising to yet another title.
However, the Jester from Leicester never gave up the fight, and with the score at 9-8 there was one particular shot which perhaps cost O’Sullivan the match. When it would have been far less dangerous to play a safety shot off a loose green towards the end of the 18th frame, he decided to take it on with his left-hand, looking to put enough cut on to sink what would have been the pot of the tournament.
But it proved too tricky, and the ball ricocheted off the pocket to allow Selby to clear up and take the match to a decider.
Despite the clock rapidly approaching midnight, the crowd inside the arena were more vocal than ever before, but were now supporting the underdog, who by this point had captured the audiences’ imagination with his thrilling comeback.
Selby described it as “like playing in the lion’s den” with “90 per cent of the fans supporting Ronnie” at the start of the match, but it was his own lion-heart performance which prompted shouts of “come on Mark!” from the stalls as Monday morning approached.
His entrance song, Underdog by Kasabian, had proven a very apt choice, and in the deciding frame the underdog had triumphed, spectacularly potting a difficult long red before adding runs of 27 and 37.
O’Sullivan must have known he was a beaten man at this point – he certainly had the look of one. His shots became increasingly – and very unusually – lax, and when he missed a red to the centre, the 34-year-old shook the hand of Selby to concede the match.
Delight for the world No. 7 ensued, as did a huge cheque for £150,000.
“At 9-6 down I thought my chance was gone and I expected Ronnie to win,” a delighted Selby admitted.
“I looked dead and buried, but I knew it wasn’t over until the last ball was potted. Then when it got to 9-9 I felt I was more confident than him. I just wanted one chance – in the end I got more than that and I did enough. I’m pinching myself because it’s hard to believe. “
Meanwhile, O’Sullivan was gracious in defeat and felt he was beaten by the better player on the night, but admitted that he still faces an ongoing struggle to overcome psychological barriers.
“I have to look at the big picture and I surprised myself by getting to the final this week,” O’Sullivan said.
“I didn’t play well enough to win so I can’t be disappointed. I will keep pitching up to tournaments and trying to compete.
“I’m always out to win, but the battle is with myself. I’m trying not to have too many highs and lows. For 17 years I’ve been playing like a plum, and being hot and cold made me depressed. I can’t do that to myself any more. I felt it today and I said to myself ‘don’t go there’. The frustration is that if I got it right I would smash all these players up, I’d demolish them.”
The runner-up prize of £75,000 provided little solace for the beaten finalist, who had wasted a golden opportunity to catch up with Stephen Hendry’s record of six Masters titles.
But at 26, Selby continues to improve and clearly has a fondness for this prestigious tournament. The newly crowned Masters champion will be back next year to defend his title – as he unsuccessfully attempted last year – with a few more fans following last night’s absorbing comeback.
Rob Swan
Whiplashed Williams waltzes into quarters
0755 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Mark Williams had suffered the effects of whiplash after a minor car crash on Monday evening and felt sore throughout his second round Masters match against Ali Carter; but this had little effect on the Welshman’s performance as he fought bravely through the pain barrier and defeated his opponent 6-3 in the process.
Williams and seven-time world champion, Stephen Hendry, were both involved in the road accident following a night out. The 34-year-old’s car was stationary at the time of the collision, but was shunted from behind at traffic lights. Fortunately, only minor injuries were sustained, and the Welshman was given the green light to play just 24 hours later.
At the end of the first frame, those packed inside Wembley Arena could have been forgiven for questioning whether or not such an incident had even occurred. Williams hit a break of 98 without reply to seal the opening frame, although the amount of time he needed to take each shot – along with a series of slight grimaces every now and then – suggested he had only just been passed fit to play.
Carter went one better in the second frame, compiling a 99, and then took a 2-1 lead in the frame after with a 71 in the third.
Williams recovered, though, and equalised with the highest break of the match. His 102 was arguably the standout moment of the match, as the game became scrappier after the interval.
The scoreline was then reversed once again in the fifth – Williams stumbling to a 66-3 frame win – but Carter again levelled proceedings in the sixth after a break of 98.
As the match became more tense, the errors began to seep into both players’ games. But Williams was clearly up for a scrap-fest and won the next three frames to secure his place in the last eight.
The two-time world champion and Masters winner, who had spent the morning in hospital on painkillers, had performed valiantly and admitted he’d surprised himself at times during the match.
“The pain was ok; it got worse when the tension started to build at the end. It meant I got down to shots slower which might have helped!” the world No. 15 joked.
“I surprised myself, I didn’t expect that and felt good out there. I couldn’t rush any shots because of the pain. That was probably some of the best stuff I have played for some time.
“I’ll try and get a massage tomorrow and hopefully it should get better.”
Williams will now play the man who knocked his fellow passenger, Hendry, out of the tournament, Shaun Murphy, tomorrow evening at 7pm.
Rob Swan
Sublime O’Sullivan seals dramatic comeback
0755 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Ronnie O’Sullivan produced a stunning comeback from 3-0 down in yesterday’s second-round Masters match against Neil Robertson to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
The Rocket was up against the in-form Australian, who enjoyed the best of the opening frames and appeared to be cruising towards a surprise win. However, O’Sullivan hit back in spectacular fashion in the fourth frame – displaying some of the vintage snooker which has fired him to stardom over the last two decades – found his best form and eventually won the match by six frames to four.
Looking overjoyed with his 3-0 lead, Robertson walked out of Wembley Arena for a brief interval having just punched the air in delight after amassing a seemingly unassailable advantage against a below-par O’Sullivan.
Perhaps the Australian took his foot off the gas, but a far more likely explanation for his eventual defeat was the resurrection of arguably the greatest player to have ever played the game.
Against any other competitor, Robertson would have expected to have seen this match off after the opening three frames.
But this was O’Sullivan; and a brilliant 114 roused the expectant crowd as the World No. 1 began to exert his dominance and take control of this second-round match.
Looking like an entirely different player, O’Sullivan’s brilliance soon began to unnerve his opponent, as the comeback looked increasingly inevitable with every passing shot.
The four-time Masters champion levelled the match in the sixth frame after an effortless 87, while a safety shot from Robertson failed to pay off in the seventh as O’Sullivan duly capitalised to take a 4-3 lead.
Many players would have been resigned to their fate at this stage, but Robertson must be commended for his never-say-die attitude, and sensationally hit back in the eighth frame with the highest break of the tournament so far – a wonderful 140 total clearance – to leave the game on a knife-edge.
With nothing to separate the two players at 4-4, it was impossible to call a favourite.
But O’Sullivan hasn’t earned the coveted, universal reputation as the best player of all time for no reason. And in what proved the penultimate round, another century – 106, this time – allowed the Rocket to place one foot inside the last eight of the tournament.
With victory in sight, the last frame saw O’Sullivan hit top gear, and his faultless potting and cue ball placing delighted the crowds and he stormed to a 80-8 tenth frame win.
Everyone packed inside Wembley had been treated to a masterclass from the three-time World Champion. The comeback was complete, and O’Sullivan will now face Peter Ebdon in the first quarter-final tomorrow afternoon.
In the aftermath of his comeback, the self-critical O’Sullivan played down the manner of his win, and revealed that he wasn’t surprised or particularly happy with the final result.
“I don’t want to have to rely on the occasion of being 3-0 down in front of a big crowd to salvage some pride. I can’t pot a ball in practice,” the Rocket admitted.
“My attitude will be the same in my next match – I won’t be surprised if I win or lose.”
O’Sullivan also revealed his concerns with his long potting and that he wouldn’t have been overly disappointed had he been eliminated from the tournament.
“I made just two out of 10 long pots, and I think Neil will be disappointed to have beaten someone making just two of 10 long pots.
“I’d give my long potting two out of 10. It’s hard to get excited.
“To make two or three centuries in a match is not a big deal, that’s how the modern game is. I would have accepted winning or losing today.”
Even if the man himself wasn’t in jovial mood after pulling the match back from the brink, everyone else with even a passing interest in the sport will be eagerly-anticipating another classic performance from the Magician tomorrow afternoon.
Rob Swan
Delighted Murphy advances to quarters at Hendry’s expense
0756 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Stephen Hendry was knocked out of the Masters yesterday evening in the second round of the tournament, losing a pulsating 6-4 match against Shaun Murphy at Wembley Arena.
The Scot already had six Masters titles to his name before taking to the table last night, but was bidding to make it seven with another victory this winter.
A truly dominant force in this competition at the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Hendry was competing for his first Masters trophy victory since 1996.
But his opponent, Murphy, looking to progress past the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time, held his nerve in a tense duel inside Wembley to seal his place in the next round at Hendry’s expense.
It could have been an entirely different outcome had Hendry not missed a simple green in the final frame – a decisive error which the Scot would have inevitably replayed over in his head last night.
“There is no excuse for missing a green like that. It was part twitch and part changing my mind,” the world No. 10 said.
“I was down on the shot thinking, ‘Should I stun it off the cushion?’ but in the end I didn’t do what I wanted.
“It’s frustrating as I played quite well. To lose like that was hard to take because Shaun looked a bit nervous.
“If it had gone to the last frame I’d have had a good chance.”
Both competitors played their part in this match unfolding as a thrilling contest. Hendry, whose record of five consecutive Masters titles between 1989 and 1994 remains unequalled, hit a 114 in frame two to level the match, and then took the lead in the third frame after another impressive run of 79.
However, this merely spurred on Murphy, who admitted after the match that the crowd’s shouts of support for Hendry provided “free inspiration” for him.
The 2005 world champion took a 4-2 lead with an 81, but was immediately pegged back in the seventh frame following a mesmeric 104 by his opponent.
Not to be outdone, Murphy kept his cool and remained unmoved by the crowd favourite’s exploits, and then displayed his fighting spirit once again to hit a superb 106.
A tight, penultimate frame went to the Scot, which in turn set up a stirring finale. But missing that simple green in the tenth frame – with the score neatly poised at 54-32 – eventually sealed Hendry’s fate once again.
However, this wasn’t before one last kick in the teeth for the Masters legend. On what turned out to be the final shot of the match, Murphy played for safety but inadvertently ended up fluking the blue to seal his place in the quarter-finals, leaving Hendry with that all too familiar sinking feeling.
The world No. 3 will now face the winner of tonight’s match, either Ali Carter or Mark Williams, on Thursday evening, with a potential semi-final against Peter Ebdon, Ronnie O’Sullivan or Neil Robertson lined up if he can end his quarter-final hoodoo, and move a step closer to winning that first coveted Masters title.
“Any match against Stephen is a major event so I’m delighted to win,” a buoyant Murphy said.
“It was a high standard with big breaks and good safety. To win the biggest three events would be a boyhood dream come true. My record in this tournament isn’t great – I normally watch it from home so I’m not sure I want to break my routine! ”
Rob Swan
White left feeling sick after Masters exit
0757 days
by Rob Swan
in Uncategorized
Jimmy White conceded he was “sickened” after being knocked out of the Masters first round by Mark King last night.
The 47-year-old wildcard was determined to make a big impression following his stint in the Australian jungle for the ITV1 show I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, but must have wished he’d stayed in Oz after his abject performance.
The likes of Rolling Stones superstar Ronnie Wood and King of the Jungle Gino D’Acampo had travelled to Wembley Arena to cheer on the Whirlwind; but the event itself proved a huge anti-climax for White’s supporters as he was comprehensively beaten 6-2.
The 1984 Masters champion entered the arena to Money for Nothing by Dire Straits (a reference to the £65,000 to £100,000 he reportedly picked up for entering the Australian jungle, perhaps) in front of a vocal crowd of 1,368 – the majority of whom were fully behind the snooker idol. However, it was his opponent who made the biggest impression on the night – if not for his performance, then certainly for his hugely entertaining, but slightly cringe worthy, entrance.
King’s chosen track, hip-hop anthem You Can Do It by Ice Cube, might not have gone down too well with one or two of the more old-fashioned spectators inside Wembley; but it appeared to rouse the 35-year-old, who came out dancing as if he were the Californian rapper himself – or rather, an embarrassing uncle at a wedding.
Once the laughter had died down, King soon began to believe Ice Cube’s words, and started the first frame strongly.
Despite the backing of the crowd, White never truly got going and struggled to keep control of the cue ball. Once King had racked up breaks of 56, 64 and 85 to seal five of the six frames needed to take victory, his opponent appeared to know his fate was all but sealed.
The current World No. 16, King, duly took the eighth frame to secure a comfortable 6-2 win, and White couldn’t hide his disappointment at the outcome once the match had ended.
“It was woeful. It was sickening to play like that,” a frustrated White told BBC Radio 5 live.
“It’s not like I didn’t have any chances – I had loads of chances, I had chances every game. But it was a great atmosphere, I think Barry Hearn will do great for the game.
“It’s just a bit frustrating to play like that with the way I’m playing in practice.”
A disappointing and premature exit from the prestigious tournament for White and his local supporters, then, but a great start in terms of entertainment value for a sport that is undergoing somewhat of an overhaul at present.
Rob Swan